needtoknow
@needtoknow
@needtoknow
Posts: 9
Joined: Feb 10, 2016
Every day I cough up what looks like a scab with ugly mucous and blood
Every day I cough up what looks like a scab with ugly mucous and tiny amounts of blood. It seems to come from the back of my throat or nose. My doctor has seen the scab but does not see anything wrong. This, to me, seems really odd. Has anyone had this problem?
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sirgalahad
@sirgalahad
@sirgalahad
Posts: 238
Joined: Jun 26, 2018
@jfvero @klpdx, @reebobbin I have the exact same picture. Thumbnail sized “Scab”, slightly cupped form, with mucus.
I was coughing one up about every 3 weeks. Since having surgery last June to correct a deviated septum, I have great air flow, but am now consistently coughing up one of these scabs every 3 days.
Post surgery I brought this condition to my ENT/Surgeon, which he scoped me and can see the “Crusting”; He reviewed the MRI that I had prior to surgery – No evidence of any abnormality. November he ordered a CT Scan – No evidence of an abnormality/cancer. January he biopsied the nasopharynx where the scab grows – No evidence of cancer… but no conclusion either. I suggested a problem with the adenoids, but he doesn’t think so.
He suggested coming back in 3 months and see if the condition still exists. I’ll be going back late in March … looking forward to hearing if you have any further updates. I plan to share this information with him when I see him next month.
it sounds like something has happened during surgery and you have quite a bad post nasal drip whereby stuff from the nose is going back into the back ofyour throat and you aren't blowing it out with tissues or hankies . I would suggestget a computer tomography scan of your nose ,sinus amd antrums and see what is happening+
Liked by sirgalahad
@jfvero @klpdx, @reebobbin I have the exact same picture. Thumbnail sized “Scab”, slightly cupped form, with mucus.
I was coughing one up about every 3 weeks. Since having surgery last June to correct a deviated septum, I have great air flow, but am now consistently coughing up one of these scabs every 3 days.
Post surgery I brought this condition to my ENT/Surgeon, which he scoped me and can see the “Crusting”; He reviewed the MRI that I had prior to surgery – No evidence of any abnormality. November he ordered a CT Scan – No evidence of an abnormality/cancer. January he biopsied the nasopharynx where the scab grows – No evidence of cancer… but no conclusion either. I suggested a problem with the adenoids, but he doesn’t think so.
He suggested coming back in 3 months and see if the condition still exists. I’ll be going back late in March … looking forward to hearing if you have any further updates. I plan to share this information with him when I see him next month.
I also have the same “scab” which I posted about on this site previously. I discussed with my regular Dr and she gave me an antibiotic, amoxicillin to see I would notice any change. I also started to take Mucinex to thin mucus; I was having a lot of sinus issues and did sinus rinse and then also started Sudafed. Then sore throat and still a lot of mucus/phlegm. Have had all this going on since Jan 11. Back to Dr and they ordered blood work. Now have determined I have mono. Unfortunately I still have coughed up the “scab” but it is not crusty but I can still see the little ‘dent-like hole’ in the middle of it but it is soft. The Dr indicated I would need to see ENT if none the things I have done thus far work. Thanks for all of your info. It is difficult to believe that this “crusty scab” is such a mystery to medical professionals. @beebuzz
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sirgalahad
@sirgalahad
@sirgalahad
Posts: 238
Joined: Jun 26, 2018
@beebuzz I also have the same “scab” which I posted about on this site previously. I discussed with my regular Dr and she gave me an antibiotic, amoxicillin to see I would notice any change. I also started to take Mucinex to thin mucus; I was having a lot of sinus issues and did sinus rinse and then also started Sudafed. Then sore throat and still a lot of mucus/phlegm. Have had all this going on since Jan 11. Back to Dr and they ordered blood work. Now have determined I have mono. Unfortunately I still have coughed up the “scab” but it is not crusty but I can still see the little ‘dent-like hole’ in the middle of it but it is soft. The Dr indicated I would need to see ENT if none the things I have done thus far work. Thanks for all of your info. It is difficult to believe that this “crusty scab” is such a mystery to medical professionals. @beebuzz
could be post nasal drip or coming from your antrums sit in your cheek and sinus above your nose
Liked by sirgalahad
I am so glad that I found this thread. I have been reading it over the months. I have the exact same thing, the photo verified it. I used to feel a stinging feeling on the roof of my mouth when I was a girl, I knew that a round of strep throat would follow. I had at least 8 cases of strep throat in my childhood. I was told that I had "cryptic tonsils" and that bacteria was easily caught in the crevices. My 3rd year in collage, I was brushing my teeth and I felt the stinging, It is gross, but I remembered seeing a boy really work up the mucus in his nose and spit it out of his mouth. I gave it a try, for some reason for the first time it occurred to me that this might bring relief. I worked at it for about 10 min and out came the first scab. Since then it happens quite a lot. Almost never in the summer, and almost always in the winter (dry air even though I sleep with a humidifier) I also believe that the scab would sit there and cause all of my childhood strep due to enlarged adenoids which I have been researching since finding this feed. This is the most comprehensive understanding of what I have been going through. I just coughed up a large one the other day, after about 7 min of serious sucking and hacking to get it out. I found sweet relief that my day would not be ruined by its presence and I thought, how will I do this when I am 85 years old, I am 42 now. I found the following article. I am already a vegan and I eat mostly organic but there are other things in the article that I will try, mainly the digestive enzymes with meals, to see how that works. Thank you all for sharing. I am so glad that someone understands.
Wont let me post the link but it is an article about the lymph system.
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sirgalahad
@sirgalahad
@sirgalahad
Posts: 238
Joined: Jun 26, 2018
another thought is to have your teeth and upper gum checked for infection as it is an area which is quite a lot of blood flow . a lot of open bones sacs antrums and sinus and bone is porous
Liked by sirgalahad
@klpdx @fcleaner1 @beebuzz @needtoknow Hey guys, pardon the totally gross pictures, but I thought it might be helpful to make sure everyone has the same issue in mind. The photo is of the afore mention snot crusts. I’ve been definitively diagnosed with chronic adenoiditis, and will soon be having them removed. Currently, I have to clear one of these bad boys out more or less daily, and at times, it can be annoyingly difficult, painful, and embarrassing to try and “cough it up.” Basically, you sound like you’re trying to (pardon me) “hawk up” a stubborn loogie (sp?). I encourage anyone with similar symptoms to gather the evidence: save/document a series of crusts (to show your provider), study nasal anatomy/read about chronic adenoiditis, and perhaps most important: find an ENT who listens to you, and agrees to perform an internal laryngopharyngeal exam with a flexible fiber scope.
Wow! Me too! I'm sooo glad I found this post. It looks exactly like what I hawk up. I hadn't thought to take a pic until now. Thank you for posting!
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@klpdx @fcleaner1 @beebuzz @needtoknow Hey guys, pardon the totally gross pictures, but I thought it might be helpful to make sure everyone has the same issue in mind. The photo is of the afore mention snot crusts. I’ve been definitively diagnosed with chronic adenoiditis, and will soon be having them removed. Currently, I have to clear one of these bad boys out more or less daily, and at times, it can be annoyingly difficult, painful, and embarrassing to try and “cough it up.” Basically, you sound like you’re trying to (pardon me) “hawk up” a stubborn loogie (sp?). I encourage anyone with similar symptoms to gather the evidence: save/document a series of crusts (to show your provider), study nasal anatomy/read about chronic adenoiditis, and perhaps most important: find an ENT who listens to you, and agrees to perform an internal laryngopharyngeal exam with a flexible fiber scope.
Hey! Did any of you find a "treatment" for these scabs? I have them too, seems no ENT can figure out why…
I have the same exact mucous “scab” problem too. It slides down and sticks to the back of my throat from my nose every day/every couple days. This has been happening for around 2+ years. It worsened after my turbinate reduction surgery. I have also previously had surgery to correct deviated septum. My ENT doctor has scoped my nose several times since my turbinate reduction surgery. He’s confirmed that the crust/mucous is forming on my adenoids. He doesn’t think it’s infected though, as the tissue underneath the mucuos doesn’t look particularly inflamed.
However, he did have me apply mupirocin ointment to the inside of my nostrils (3 times a day for 7 days to get rid of potential staph)… and the mucuos and scabbing went away temporarily… Over the past 2 years, I’ve done the course of mupirocin ointment three times. Each time, by the end of the 7 days, the mucuos eases up and I have no scabbing. This lasts for a week or two (and it’s glorious!)… but then it comes back. The same thing happened when I took antibiotics (Keflex) for a UTI— it went away during the antibiotic treatment then came back a week or two later.
Still, after all of that, my doctor does not think my adenoids are infected. I believe him, because he’s a nose expert, after all. Last thing he told me is that he doesn’t think it’s anything scary, but for him to try to better understand what it is (he’s never seen this problem before), he would have to remove the adenoids and biopsy them. It’s something I’m considering but, dang it, I don’t really want to have another surgery! I also get tonsil stones, so was thinking I could get those out at the same time if I decide to go through with it.
Also… what’s weird is that both of my brothers experience the same thing too. Such a mystery.
@beebuzz If you don’t mind explaining more, what exactly did your doctor say about the mono?
Stay strong, nose buddies.
@jfvero @klpdx, @reebobbin I have the exact same picture. Thumbnail sized “Scab”, slightly cupped form, with mucus.
I was coughing one up about every 3 weeks. Since having surgery last June to correct a deviated septum, I have great air flow, but am now consistently coughing up one of these scabs every 3 days.
Post surgery I brought this condition to my ENT/Surgeon, which he scoped me and can see the “Crusting”; He reviewed the MRI that I had prior to surgery – No evidence of any abnormality. November he ordered a CT Scan – No evidence of an abnormality/cancer. January he biopsied the nasopharynx where the scab grows – No evidence of cancer… but no conclusion either. I suggested a problem with the adenoids, but he doesn’t think so.
He suggested coming back in 3 months and see if the condition still exists. I’ll be going back late in March … looking forward to hearing if you have any further updates. I plan to share this information with him when I see him next month.
Let us know how it goes!
@glassshark
I saw my ENT in early March … Still producing scabs every 3-days like clockwork.
He scoped me again and can see the scab right were the adenoids would be … but he says it’s not Adenoiditis. He considered that it may be a Tornwaldt cyst… stepped away to re-look at my MRI, but came back and said not that either.
He used the scope to dislodge the scab that was there, then swabbed me for a culture. He had me start taking Augmentin for 14-days, while we waited for the culture to come back.
The culture came back 5-days later. The PA called to say that it shows staph, but that staph is a naturally occurring thing and isn’t what my problem is since there is no elevated white blood cell count (i.e. Its not a staph infection).
Still no definitive diagnostic.
The Augmentin has changed the frequency of the scab. For the last 9 months, it has been a new scab every 3-days … I completed the Augmentin last Saturday, which I just had a scab today… first one in 10-days. 10 is better than 3, but I want none of this 😊
I’ll give it another two weeks to see if the frequency changes up now that I’m off the Augmentin, then will call the ENT to see what’s the next step.
@selfhelper I have been getting these sores for several years. For those that don't get them, they will not understand it. You cannot see where they attach, but they present as a painful and sometimes scratchy feelling in the nasopharynx. The "scab" becomes loose and I am able to cough it out. It generally looks exactly like a scab and bloody because it just detached from somewhere. It can be the size of a pencil eraser or a quarter. I have come to realize its onset is a result of some type of irritation like allergies or a common cold, and for some reason believe this mucosal area is always vulnerable to developing the sore and scab. I just had minor hand surgery and it flaired up from the use of an LMA.(I coughed up a scab the size of a quarter after two days of a sore, scratchy throat).It is like an ulcer. I have found the best treatment is to start using a NeliMed nasal irrigation with premade salt packets and distilled water. I do this twice a day for 7-10 days after the initial onset of sore throat symptoms. If the ulceration develops, it is usually a very small scab with treatment and there is significant temporary relief of the sore throat until the area is ultimately healed. I do wonder if laser treatment would work for something like this although any surgical treatment would be a last resort for me. I do worry though how this might affect me in my geriatric years. Would I be more vulnerable to pneumonia or other respiratory illness if the underlying condition is unknown to health care providers or that no treatment is done? I suppose antibiotics would work. I also wonder if there is any medication that can treat it like those that can treat ulcers of the stomach lining. On a side note, I also get the tonsil stones on a more regular basis, but those are not the same as what I have described here. I have had no ENT surgery to speak of. Would be nice to have more research available on this.
Hello, and thank you for your detailed post. This sounds exactly like what I get, and your theory as to the cause is very much what I have been concluding. The most important thing that you said was that unless others get these scab things and cough them up, they won't get it. True! In my case, I think dry air has something to do with it, because I get them MUCH more often in the winter, and rarely in the humid summertime, or when I am at the beach – which is VERY humid. Moisture seems to keep them from forming into a hard scab; and since I have been having A LOT of them lately – just about every other day, for a couple of weeks – and a LOT of thick, tenacious stringy mucus as postnasal sludge rather than clear drip – I am going to try a humidifier in my room tonight. I don't have any throat pain, but more of a scratchy throat feeling. I do clear my throat a lot, and have a good bit of postnasal drip which in these past few weeks is NOT clear, but rather yellow. (General throat congestion and throat clearing runs in my family, for whatever that may be worth.) When the scab comes loose and I cough it out, it's a bit of a relief. It does not really come UP from anywhere, it seems more from where upper throat (not visible) meets lower nasal area. When I KNOW it is there, I clear my throat and cough and try too hard to hock it out that I wind up irritating the area even more. Bit of a vicious cycle at the moment. As of today, I am drinking lots of water, planning to sleep with the humidifier, and try my best not to irritate anything, but just let it run it's course. It's a CRAZY thing, isn't it? Some pocket or ledge that collects mucus and hardens and then has to come out! Ugh. Looking forward to HUMID SUMMER. 🙂
@elal Hey! Did any of you find a "treatment" for these scabs? I have them too, seems no ENT can figure out why…
THAT is what it looks like! Sometimes more green crusty around the edges. This looks like an 'immature' one, lol.
@emingo I am so glad that I found this thread. I have been reading it over the months. I have the exact same thing, the photo verified it. I used to feel a stinging feeling on the roof of my mouth when I was a girl, I knew that a round of strep throat would follow. I had at least 8 cases of strep throat in my childhood. I was told that I had "cryptic tonsils" and that bacteria was easily caught in the crevices. My 3rd year in collage, I was brushing my teeth and I felt the stinging, It is gross, but I remembered seeing a boy really work up the mucus in his nose and spit it out of his mouth. I gave it a try, for some reason for the first time it occurred to me that this might bring relief. I worked at it for about 10 min and out came the first scab. Since then it happens quite a lot. Almost never in the summer, and almost always in the winter (dry air even though I sleep with a humidifier) I also believe that the scab would sit there and cause all of my childhood strep due to enlarged adenoids which I have been researching since finding this feed. This is the most comprehensive understanding of what I have been going through. I just coughed up a large one the other day, after about 7 min of serious sucking and hacking to get it out. I found sweet relief that my day would not be ruined by its presence and I thought, how will I do this when I am 85 years old, I am 42 now. I found the following article. I am already a vegan and I eat mostly organic but there are other things in the article that I will try, mainly the digestive enzymes with meals, to see how that works. Thank you all for sharing. I am so glad that someone understands.
Wont let me post the link but it is an article about the lymph system.
Yes, we all have this in common. I, too, am so glad I found this thread!
I have the same exact thing! Every about 6-12 days I'll cough another one up. I have pretty frequent nosebleeds as well, so mine usually have dried blood in them as well. My throat always hurts before and after I cough it out. Is this common for anyone else? It just feels raw and sore. I want to go to an ENT about this, but I really don't want to have to go through the whole "I've never seen this before" run around stuff. I don't have time/money/energy for that.
If anyone has gotten an actual diagnosis and viable treatment, please let us know!
@jfvero
In reply to @klpdx
@klpdx, @reebobbin I have the exact same picture. Thumbnail sized “Scab”, slightly cupped form, with mucus.
I was coughing one up about every 3 weeks. Since having surgery last June to correct a deviated septum, I have great air flow, but am now consistently coughing up one of these scabs every 3 days.
Post surgery I brought this condition to my ENT/Surgeon, which he scoped me and can see the “Crusting”; He reviewed the MRI that I had prior to surgery – No evidence of any abnormality. November he ordered a CT Scan – No evidence of an abnormality/cancer. January he biopsied the nasopharynx where the scab grows – No evidence of cancer… but no conclusion either. I suggested a problem with the adenoids, but he doesn’t think so.
He suggested coming back in 3 months and see if the condition still exists. I’ll be going back late in March … looking forward to hearing if you have any further updates. I plan to share this information with him when I see him next month.
Liked by glassshark